But WHY Go Around HR #jobsearch

But WHY Go Around HR #jobsearch Youve heard that you should go around HR, right? But why? Imagine you want to buy a specific electronics device at Wal-Mart.  You could walk into Wal-Mart and talk to the people at the Electronics Department, or you could walk to the Customer Service area in the front of the store and talk to them. Which makes more sense? I know, some of you are thinking uh, I would not buy my electronics device at Wal-Mart! Just work with me and my simple analogy for a minute. Talking to the person in the Electronics Department will be a different conversation than talking to someone at Customer Service. When Ive used Customer Service in a store, it is to make an exchange or get a refund. They are really good at that.  They are clearly trained to do that.  Ive also seen posters for money transfers, and Im guessing they are good at that, too.  But I dont expect them to know about the differences in device models, prices, benefits, which I should get, etc. The problem is, in the spirit of customer service, they might try to help me!  Without having expertise in the area, only their good intentions and service oriented attitude, they might say things, and suggest things, that are not correct. The real answers come from someone who has some level of expertise or passion. Customer Service might be well-intentioned, but give us wrong information.  Thats annoying when you dont buy the right thing. You felt like you went to an authority, but that person was not an authority. This is the same thing that happens when you go to or through HR as a job seeker.  HR is usually not the right place to go, UNLESS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A JOB IN HR.  Its like going to Wal-Marts Customer Service department. People go to and through HR because it seems like that is what we are supposed to do.  Who in a company seems to be tied into the hiring and employee stuff?  HR, of course. The problem is, too often, HR is not involved in the hiring process like you think they are.  They might not know anything about the job requirements, even though they may have written or approved the job description. Because some people in HR see and process a lot of resumes, we think they are the gatekeeper or the decision-maker.  Often, they are neither.  The gatekeeper is more likely to be software that will cut you out of the candidate pool before any human ever sees your resume.  But because they see a lot of resumes, we trust that they can give us feedback or maybe help keep ours on the top of the pile.  They can surely tell us why our resume stinks, and maybe even help us make it better, right? Not necessarily. One thing to understand about HR is that is is massively broad.  When I designed software for HR, I would sometimes work with the team that managed the FMLA, which is one very specific focus of some people in HR. I would sometimes work with others who dealt with this employment issue, or that employment issue, but I never worked with (didnt even know!) the people involved on the hiring side. You can have a career in HR without ever being involved in hiring but because you are in HR people think you are they key to them getting a job. Perhaps most important, HR might have nothing to do with who finally gets the job.  This is usually at the hiring manager level.  The hiring manager knows what they want (requirements of the successful candidate), what type of person they want (cultural fit), and might even have some insiders or referrals who they are eyeing (hidden job market). Look, I like HR people.  They come to my presentations, and they are good people. Many of them get into HR because they want to help people.  This is not a post about HR being jerks or unqualified not at all. This is a post about making sure you go to the right person for what your needs are.  And if you are a job seeker, unless you are looking for an HR job, you have been advised to avoid, or go around, HR.  These are the main reasons why. But WHY Go Around HR #jobsearch Youve heard that you should go around HR, right? But why? Imagine you want to buy a specific electronics device at Wal-Mart.  You could walk into Wal-Mart and talk to the people at the Electronics Department, or you could walk to the Customer Service area in the front of the store and talk to them. Which makes more sense? I know, some of you are thinking uh, I would not buy my electronics device at Wal-Mart! Just work with me and my simple analogy for a minute. Talking to the person in the Electronics Department will be a different conversation than talking to someone at Customer Service. When Ive used Customer Service in a store, it is to make an exchange or get a refund. They are really good at that.  They are clearly trained to do that.  Ive also seen posters for money transfers, and Im guessing they are good at that, too.  But I dont expect them to know about the differences in device models, prices, benefits, which I should get, etc. The problem is, in the spirit of customer service, they might try to help me!  Without having expertise in the area, only their good intentions and service oriented attitude, they might say things, and suggest things, that are not correct. The real answers come from someone who has some level of expertise or passion. Customer Service might be well-intentioned, but give us wrong information.  Thats annoying when you dont buy the right thing. You felt like you went to an authority, but that person was not an authority. This is the same thing that happens when you go to or through HR as a job seeker.  HR is usually not the right place to go, UNLESS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A JOB IN HR.  Its like going to Wal-Marts Customer Service department. People go to and through HR because it seems like that is what we are supposed to do.  Who in a company seems to be tied into the hiring and employee stuff?  HR, of course. The problem is, too often, HR is not involved in the hiring process like you think they are.  They might not know anything about the job requirements, even though they may have written or approved the job description. Because some people in HR see and process a lot of resumes, we think they are the gatekeeper or the decision-maker.  Often, they are neither.  The gatekeeper is more likely to be software that will cut you out of the candidate pool before any human ever sees your resume.  But because they see a lot of resumes, we trust that they can give us feedback or maybe help keep ours on the top of the pile.  They can surely tell us why our resume stinks, and maybe even help us make it better, right? Not necessarily. One thing to understand about HR is that is is massively broad.  When I designed software for HR, I would sometimes work with the team that managed the FMLA, which is one very specific focus of some people in HR. I would sometimes work with others who dealt with this employment issue, or that employment issue, but I never worked with (didnt even know!) the people involved on the hiring side. You can have a career in HR without ever being involved in hiring but because you are in HR people think you are they key to them getting a job. Perhaps most important, HR might have nothing to do with who finally gets the job.  This is usually at the hiring manager level.  The hiring manager knows what they want (requirements of the successful candidate), what type of person they want (cultural fit), and might even have some insiders or referrals who they are eyeing (hidden job market). Look, I like HR people.  They come to my presentations, and they are good people. Many of them get into HR because they want to help people.  This is not a post about HR being jerks or unqualified not at all. This is a post about making sure you go to the right person for what your needs are.  And if you are a job seeker, unless you are looking for an HR job, you have been advised to avoid, or go around, HR.  These are the main reasons why.

How to Write a Perfect Resume

How to Write a Perfect ResumeWriting a perfect resume is something that you should do well, because there are many people who apply for jobs, and get rejected. Of course, the reason they get rejected is that they have written the resume incorrectly. In this article I will talk about how to write a resume correctly, and why it is so important.One of the most common reasons why people get rejected for jobs is that they have written their resumes incorrectly. This can be because they didn't include the information that was required on the resume, or they didn't include the information that they thought was required. There are many things that can cause a resume to be rejected, but the biggest reason is that it wasn't written properly.The first thing that a potential employer is going to see when they view your resume is your picture. This is very important, and it should look professional. It is also best to include a resume photo in your resume, because it shows that you are serious ab out your job. Many people make the mistake of only including one photo in their resume, and this shows that they don't care about what they're applying for.The next thing that they need to include is contact information. They need to know where they can be contacted if they need information. It is also best to include your phone number and address. This makes it easy for the employer to contact you.Another thing that you need to include in your resume is information about your skills. When you have a number of skills, this makes it easier for you to be hired. Employers are looking for employees that have a wide range of skills, because this makes them feel confident that you can do the job.Most employers are looking for someone who has a specific skill in a certain field. You should include these skills in your resume. If you are a writer, then include your writing skills in your resume. If you are a writer and musician, then include your skills in the same place.Some people assume that their resume should be the same for all the different positions that they are applying for. It isn't always possible to do this, because there are many reasons that the resume needs to be different. You should always try to avoid adding information to your resume that isn't necessary.When you're trying to write a perfect resume, make sure that you always put importance on having the right information. It is important to have a good looking resume, and you should think about what is important, not just what you think your resume should look like. If you don't put importance on your resume, then you will have trouble finding a job.

Whats in a Name

What’s in a Name March 4 is National Unique Names Day, according to people who make up these kinds of holidays. Your name is part of your personal brand and deeply connected to your identity. But does it have any effect on your career success? Maybe, according to a 2013 study by TheLadders.com, a career advice site for people seeking jobs that pay over $100,000 a year. The study examined TheLadders’ nearly 6 million members’ industry, salary level, and location.  They compiled a list of C-level executives and the highest (self-reported) earners. Then they looked for patterns in their first names. Here are the names that appeared most often in C-Level executives for women: Christine, Denise, Cindy, Shannon and Sharon. For men, the top names were Bob, Lawrence, Bill, Marc and Martin. In an interesting twist, the top earning names did not overlap with the C-level names, with the exception of one female name: Christine. Highest earning names for women: Lynn, Melissa, Cathy, Dana and Christine. Highest earning male names: Tom, Rob, Dale, Doug and Wayne. The top ten, highest-paid, C-level executive names earn, on average,  ten percent more  than other names; the highest earning names make, on average, about  $7,000 more than the rest of the list. Females make, on average,  22 percent less  than their male counterparts in all comparisons. Some of the pattern is coincidence, of course. Melissa and Robert have been among the most popular baby names since the 1960s, so the odds are that many top earners   and bottom earners, for that matter â€" will share those names. I predict that in a few years, we’ll see Jessica and Ashley as top earners, since those names became the most popular in the 1980s. But names do matter. Your name is linked to first impressions from a very early age.  A survey of 30,000 teachers revealed that 49 percent make assumptions about kids based on their names, and that they perceived some names as trouble makers (hint: don’t name your rambunctious boy Jack.) Exotic names can be hard to pronounce and create unnecessary challenges in the workplace, and that goes for taking a common name and making it special by some odd spelling. Even common variations can be maddening when your nametag at a conference is always spelled wrong. I know what I’m talking about; my name is also commonly spelled Candice.  Joann, Terry, Traci and Bryan will back me up on this. If you choose the most popular baby name in the year your baby is born can date him or her later in life.   Shirley was the 4th-most-popular name for girls in the 1930s because of the enormous popularity of Shirley Temple. Today, the name is so rare that you can accurately guess the age of any Shirley you hear about. The year before I was born, “Tammy and the Bachelor” was a popular movie (you’ll have to do your own research.) I only escaped being named Tammy by luck; my mom’s best friend delivered her daughter first. Close call. If you’re stuck with a name that doesn’t feel like you or that causes confusion, you can always just use your middle name. It worked out fine for Mary Farah Fawcett and Troyal Garth Brooks, among others.